'Curling needs more prominence in British sport'

BBC Young Reporter Marianna trains at the Flower Bowl curling rink

BBC Young Reporter Marianna feels strongly about curling becoming more prominent in British sport. She trains at the Flower Bowl curling rink in the village of Barton near Preston and is on the English Junior Women’s curling team.

Here, Marianna, 16, shares why she feels it is time to capitalise on talent in our communities ahead of the next Winter Olympics.

I am training for the World Junior Curling Championships in Finland in December but we want more players to come forward to help boost Team GBs medal chances.

Preston Curling Club was formed 150 years ago and at one time was more popular than its famous football rival, Preston North End.

The club played its first game on Christmas Day in 1874 and challenged local teams from nearby towns, often on frozen lakes.

Until 2018 Preston’s home rink was in Lockerbie which is a 230-mile round trip.

Henry, 10, from Preston, is believed to be the youngest curler in England

Players now come to train and play here in Lancashire from across the country.

Henry, 10, from Preston, who is believed to be the youngest curler in England, started curling after watching others training at the Flower Bowl and becoming "very interested in it".

“Nobody else does it at my school. I like it as a hobby that only I do at my school,” he said.

Another curler at the Flower Bowl told me why she enjoyed curling so much.

"So many people come together and love each other and it's a friendly game but it can also be quite competitive," she said.

"We just need more members, because the more members we have the more games we can play," another said.

BBC Young Reporter Marianna interviews some of the members at Preston Curling Club

Paul Simmons, member of the wheelchair team, said curling was for everyone, adding: "It doesn’t matter if you’re in a wheelchair or a mobility scooter - have a try [on our team].

"We need more members”.

President of the English Curling Association, Gordon Lyon said he agreed we needed to increase the profile and awareness of curling in England and a facility like Preston in the north-west of England is a fantastic opportunity to do that.

“Previously when the Olympics were coming, anyone who watched it and wanted to participate in curling had to travel a very long distance to find a facility," he said.

"Who knows, in a couple of Olympic cycles from now, some of the people here today could be on the door of international competition.”

You can find stories by other young people on the BBC Young Reporter website.